Improvement in apparatus for the manufacture of bessemer steel



A. L. HeLLEY. Making Bessemer. Steel.

- Patented Aug. 9.1870.

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UNITED STATES `.PATENTv OFFICE.

ALEXANDER L. HOLLEY, 0E BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE r0F `BESSEllllER STEEL.

Speciiication forming part of Letters Patent No. 106,162, dated August 9, 1870.

To all 'whom it maycomem: y

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER L. HOL- LEY, of the city of Brooklyn, county of Kings,

fand State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Appa- `nying drawings.

Thisinvention relates to an yimproved means for facilitating the repairs ofthe linings of the converters employed in the Bessemer or pneumaticprocess. 'Ihe converter-bottom is generally known, and for the purposes of this specication will be considered, as the tuyeres, together with that part ofthe refractory 1in- `ing of the converter in whichthe tuyeres are set. These bottoms are generally so much burned or worn away after live to eightheats as to require renewal. This renewal has heretofore been done in the following ways: The tuyeres have been `knocked out of the mass ot' galiister in which they were set, new tuyeres have been placed in the old holes, and the lining has been made around them by pouring into the mouth of the converter semi-duid ganister and water, called slurry, which does ynot make a sound or safe bottom. Or the whole bottom has been withdrawn from the converter, and a duplicate bottom, previously rammed up and dried,' has been inserted into the large ragged hole thus left in the lower part of the converter, and the large annular space between the new bottom and the sides ofthe hole in thellining'of the converter has been iilled by pouring slurry intoit; but the slurry in this case also cannot be relied on to set soundly, and often gives way, allowing the metal to run out.` Or, instead of using slurry in the cases above named, the lining is sometimes made good around the tuyeres oraround the bottom by workmen getting into the converter and ramming `it by hand 5 but as this Vrequires waiting twelve to twenty-four hours for the vessel to cool sufficiently to enter it with safety, much time islost and the product of the worksis seriously diminished.

There are other modiiications of the practice A I have described, but none that make an absolutely solid lining without great waste of time. y

My improvement consists in the method and arrangement hereindescribed, and in the.

means and apparatus for making asound joint between the removable bottom andthe lining of a converter. To enable others to construct and use this invention, Ihave shown one common and conveuient application of it in the drawings which form a part of this specification, and in which the same letters refer to like parts.

Figures l and 2 are sections of the lower partof a converter,of which A is the iron shell, B the refractory lining, and E the ring, to which the tuyere-box H is fastened by the cotter-bolts W. The tuyere-box H receives the blast from thek blowing engine through the pipe K, and 'distributes it to the tuyeres D in the usual manner. `When a bottom re-v quires replacing the tuyere-box is removed, and the bottom C, which is attached to the tuyere-box, is thus pulled out ot' the converter, leaving a ragged opening in the converterlining, as shown by the lines S S S S, Fig. 2. A duplicate tuycre box and bottom (shown inV section in Fig. 5) is then attached to the converter, as shown at Fig. 2, and the annular space between the bottom and the lining is rammed with the refractory material U V, by men working from the outside of the converter, by means of the rammers a e. To ena-I ble the ramming from the outside to be done, Ivprefer to make the relative diameters of thertuyerebox and the opening in the lower part of the shell of the converter such that after the tuyere-box is attached to the converter it shall not entirely close this opening,

but shall permit a portion of the opening (which portion constitutes the annular space above referred to) to be exposed, so that it can be filled by ramming, as hereinafter described; and I construct the tuyere-box in such manner that, instead of the usual provisions 'for fastening it to the converter by lmeans of flanges or otherwise, Vas are well known, I provide it with the brackets R, ter

minating in the thimbles F,.through which thimbles the cutter-bolts W, which are secured in the ring E of the converter, may pass and attach the tuyere-box to the converter. It will be seen that the use of these brackets leaves open spaces between each two ot them, and through these spaces the material to be rammed into the annular space and the tools for molding and ramming may he inserted and worked. I prefer to make these openings three to four inches wide and eight to twelve inches long.

The tuyere-box is shown in plan at Fig. 7, and is shown reversed and attached to the shell of the vessel in plan at Fig. 6.

After a new bottom is inserted into the hole left in the converter bythe removal of the old bottom, as shown at Fig. 2, the annular space between the bottom and the converterlining may be readily filled with refractory material through the openings G. rIhe manner in which I usually perform this filling is as follows: I turn the converter upon its side, so that the tuyere shall lie nearly horizontal.

I form the refractory material (by preference two parts ground quartz or sandstone and one part ground tire-clay, the whole made slightly plastic by water) into cakes about the size of ordinary fire-bricks, and of suitable shape for insertion into the spaces ,they are to ll. I place one of these cakes in the extreme inner part of the annular space, pat it, and mold it sidewise (with the flat side of the rammer, as at V, Fig. 2) against the lining. I then insert another cake and mold it against the bottom C. I then insert a third cake of wedge form between the two others and press it firmly in to stop the hole. I then stop up another section of the annular space in the same way. '.Ihe ring thus formed in the inside of the annular space soon sets, especially if the lining is red-hot from recent use, so that the converter can be turned bottom upward, and the remainder of the space can be filled by shoveling in ordinary lining material and ramming it. I prefer, however, to lill the whole annular space by the combined lateral molding and rammin g described. The time occupied by this operation need not exceed forty-five minutes for a jive-ton converter. When the annular space is thus stopped I sometimes turn the converter so that the tuyere-box is down, and pour in a few buckets of slurry to make the top of the newly-rammed part even and smooth; but this is not essential. When the annular space is rammed full, as at Y, Fig. 1, I usually place the iron covers 0 over the openings G, to prevent the material rammed in from crumbling and falling out. This material may be made stiff enough to stand without the covers; but I deem it safer to use them. These covers may be held in place by a simple cotter-bolt set in the ring E, as shown at Fig. 6.

Another means of carrying out my improvements which may be adopted, if desired, is

to provide suitable apertures, 2 2 2, through the shell of the converter, whereby the annular space may be exposed, so that it may be reached and rammed through these apertures, care being taken that kthey shall be arranged and located opposite the annular space and below the line of the upper surface of the new bottom when the latter is inserted into the converter. The ramming of the annular space may then be performed in the manner above set forth, or in any other suitable man ner, and the material, after ithas been rammed, may be covered and held in by suitable covers, 3, such as have been already described. After the bottom is thus set the converter should, it' possible, be heated in the usual manner. If the converter has been in use imme diately before setting the bottom, an honrs heating is suflicient; and, it' necessary, the converter may be used immediately after the an nular space is rammed.

I prefer a hydraulic lift under the. converter to remove and insert the bottoms but this may be done by a crane overhead, or in any convenient manner.

WVhen a tuyerebox is removed from the converter the connection between the air-sup ply pipe L, Fig. 3, and the air-pipe K, that enters the tuyere-box, must be broken. In order that this may he done without removing any connections, andin order that the new tuyerebox may be readily put in communication with the pipe L, I prefer to use the simple `stuffingbox and gland N shown by Figs.V 3

and 4.

The duplicate bottoms (of which I prefer to have at least two for each converter) are made by inserting the tuyeres D through the top of the tuyere box, placing the mold, Fig. 8, around them, and ramming the:space inclosed by the mold with ganister or other refractory material in the usual manner. The bottoms may then be dried by being baked in ovens, or in any suitable manner.

I do not claim the use of duplicate bottoms in converters.

What I do claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The combination, with a converter, of a tuyere-box having such relation to the opening in the bottom of the shell of the converter that when the tuyere-box is attached to the converter a portion of the openin g in the converter constituting the annular space above described shall be exposed, so that it can be filled by ramming from the outside of the con verter, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. The combination, with the tuyere-box, of two or more brackets having between them openings suitable to admit of ramming the annular space above described from the outside of the converter, in the manner and for the purposes set forth.

3. The herein-described arrangement in the lowerportion ofaconverterofopeningsthrough 5. The eombinatiomwith the shell of the converter, of the covers, as described, for the purpose of coverin g and holding in the rammed material, substantially as set forth.

A. L. HOLLEY.

Witnesses ADOLPH SCHMIDT, P. HARRY MITCHELL. 

